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From: cramer@optilink.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga,comp.sys.misc,comp.sys.ibm.pc,comp.sys.mac,comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Software (and other kinds of) copying
Message-ID: <1874@optilink.UUCP>
Date: 23 Jan 88 21:19:31 GMT
References: <8055@g.ms.uky.edu> <174@piring.cwi.nl> <1861@optilink.UUCP> <6657@agate.BERKELEY.EDU>
Organization: Optilink Corporation, Petaluma, CA
Lines: 42
Posted: Sat Jan 23 16:19:31 1988

> In article <1861@optilink.UUCP> cramer@optilink.UUCP (Clayton Cramer) writes:
> <What makes software different from these other categories of human endeavor?
> 
> That laws making it illegal to give your friends copies are
> unenforceable. Note that I'm using "software" in the generic sense of
> "intellectual property you put on a medium that makes your hardware
> usefull" - computer programs, movies, music, and probably other things
> that I've missed.

"Uneforceable" without a police state, yes.  How enforceable a law is,
is a function of what abuses people are willing to tolerate.  No one would
accept no-knock warrants and warrantless searches to stop software piracy.
(Though most people would tolerate it stop drug dealers or terrorists.)

The enforceability of a law says nothing about the morality of the action
that law prohibits.  (Of course, talking about right and wrong with the
well educated crowd on USENET is a complete waste of time).
> 
> When producers of the software start seeing adding something that
> makes the product inferior as a *good* thing, it's time for a reality
> check.

Maybe not a good thing -- maybe something they need to put in, since
by your claim, stopping software piracy through law is impractical.

I would prefer copy protection go away.  But if the only alternative to
use of the legal system is copy protection, I think we are going to see
it around on high-end packages for a long time.  (It of course being 
impossible to get software users to stop stealing the stuff).

> For computer programs, we have software protection in various flavors.
> For movies, we have macrovision. And they're talking about raping
> compact disks by putting a 3KHz (I think I've got the number right)
> tone on them to disable DATs. What's wrong with this picture?
> 
> 	<mike

Nothing is wrong with it -- there's just too many people out there who
believe that stealing intellectual property is a right.  Consequently,
you can expect these sort of damn nuisances.

Clayton E. Cramer